UK to vote on renewing nuclear weapons before PM's exit

By Michael Sercan Daventry

LONDON

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that a decision to replace the country’s nuclear weapons system will be taken later this month, before he leaves office.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons will vote on July 18 on whether to upgrade Britain’s four Trident submarines, one of which is always armed and on patrol in the north Atlantic.

The current generation of submarines will reach the end of their working lives towards the end of the next decade.

Britain’s governing Conservative Party had promised in its general election manifesto last year to renew the system, although there was speculation Cameron would leave the decision to his successor.

Parliamentary approval could be difficult to secure because the Conservatives have a narrow majority of just 13 and Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, is a long-time anti-nuclear campaigner.

“The nuclear deterrent remains essential, in my view, not just to Britain's security but, as our allies have acknowledged here today, to the overall security of the NATO alliance,” the BBC quoted Cameron as saying at a news conference held at a NATO summit in Warsaw on Saturday.

“We need certainty about it so the investment decisions can go ahead, so I think it makes sense to hold this vote, to hold this vote now to put it beyond doubt,” he added.

Cameron announced his intention to resign as Conservative leader and prime minister following defeat in last month’s EU membership referendum. His successor – either Home Secretary Theresa May or Andrea Leadsom, a former Treasury minister – will be elected by party members over the summer and revealed on Sep. 9.

The Trident announcement came as the U.K. government rejected an online petition signed by over 4.1 million people calling for a repeat of the EU referendum vote.

“The prime minister and government have been clear that this was a once-in-a-generation vote and, as the prime minister has said, the decision must be respected,” the government said in its response.